Is Your Truck on The Most Wanted List?

In Texas, the most popular vehicle is the pickup truck and it is also the most wanted vehicle by car thieves in a recent report from the Texas (DPS).

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has released its final MVT19 report on the top vehicles reported stolen in Texas during 2012.  Based on the reports, as has been the case for many years, pickup trucks top the list of thieves’ most common targets for the year. Coming in at No. 1 was the Ford Pickup followed closely by the Chevrolet Pickup at No. 2. In the No. 3 position, the Dodge Pickup also remains a popular target for Texas thieves. The Honda Civic and the Chevrolet Tahoe round out the top five stolen vehicles.

The complete top ten list of 2012 most stolen passenger vehicles in Texas includes:

1) Ford Pickup

2) Chevrolet Pickup

3) Dodge Pickup

4) Honda Civic

5) Chevrolet Tahoe

6) Honda Accord

7) GMC Pickup

8) Chevrolet Impala

9) Toyota Camry

10) Ford Taurus

Vehicles are stolen for a variety of reasons, and contrary to popular belief, the most stolen vehicles are several years old. Some are stolen and stripped for parts. Others are stolen and resold by thieves to unsuspecting buyers in the black market. Many vehicles are stolen for joyriding, for use in committing other crimes, to perpetrate insurance fraud, to burglarize personal items and documentation, or for any number of other illegitimate purposes. And vehicle theft directly costs Texans more than any other single crime – over $621 million in 2011.

Personnel from the Texas Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) and the agency’s associated vehicle crime task forces remind Texas drivers that vehicle thieves are always looking for opportunities to steal. Vehicle owners should be aware that thieves can be lurking anywhere, and drivers should practice prevention techniques such as hiding contents that may be desirable to a thief, locking vehicle doors, and taking keys.

For more information on vehicle crime statistics and prevention, contact Michelle Lanham with ABTPA’s RATT program at 214-671-3738, 800-CAR-WATCH or e-mail at michelle.lanham@unt.edu.

(Source: Texas ABTPA)